Bags-O-Bags

I haven't been quilting much this past week - but I have been working on UFO's. Over two ago Emily over at What's that gonna be? posted directions on how to make a cute little tote bag out of two dish towels. So I bookmarked the page and started keeping my eyes open for cute dishtowels. I found some on clearance at Kroger and stuck them away, waiting for a moment to try it out. Here it is over a year later and I needed several little birthday gifts. So I dragged the towels out and got to work. They are so quick and simple! You can make a single bag in less than half an hour. Now did I take any picture of the 6 bags I made out of the dishtowels? Nope. Forgot.

But all these dishtowels got me thinking! My sweet sister bought me 4 Orla Kiely place mats and some cloth napkins from Target for my birthday last week. I immediately sat down and whipped her up a bag out of two of the place mats. This bag is bigger than the dishtowel ones and stiffer since the place mats were much stiffer to begin with. She had bought three place mats with a blue backing and one with a brown backing. Thus began our wild goose chase to find more of them. Her hubby went back to the Target where she had bought them and found one more with a blue back. He also checked out another Target near by - no luck. Last week when me and Naomi headed back to Nashville, we hit four more Targets. No luck. Oh well - at least I have enough to make me a bag too!



All this sewing got Naomi thinking I could just whip her up a bag out of anything so she went out and bought fabric. The bags are reversible - the picture shows the bags and there reversed insides. Yes - four more bags. I also made my 4 year old nephew Joey a CARS bag. I think I have had enough of these bags for a while.

Today I am trying to get a lap sized quilt quilted up for someone. She does good work - but this time her backing was wonky with a capital W. After squaring it up, it was no longer big enough. So I had to add strips of one of her other fabrics to the sides. Next come adding some strips to the batting! Wish me luck!

Two more done!!

Today was another banner day! I got TWO bindings done. Nina knows how I feel about doing bindings. Both of these quilts have been sitting in the closet waiting for the binding for an entire year. Sad, isn't it?

This first one is going to be a wedding gift for a sweet couple. The wedding is Saturday afternoon. I love this pattern and will definitely be making another one. (All the pictures are clickable for a larger view!)



This second one is an extremely belated college graduation gift. It is only two years late! Oops! This is the famous Yellow Brick Road pattern. So quick and easy. This is the third or fourth quilt I have made out of these green fabrics. I think they were multiplying when I wasn't watching!


Tomorrow I will get the labels on these and they will be ready to go. Today I also got the hall closet reorganized (again!) and got the fabric storage boxes put away - so there are no more piles of fabric sitting around the sewing room. My cleaning focus needs to turn to the kids' rooms. Some major dejunking needs to happen. My sister and the cousins are coming in a week so we need to get busy!

Things I have forgotten!

Last week when I started working on the Strip Twist QOV (see the post below), I started wondering where this other quilt went. This is the Star Struck quilt I made in Bonnie's workshop back in October. I couldn't remember finishing it and I couldn't figure out what had become of it. It is so sad to get old! On Thursday as I was trimming the other quilt, it finally came back to me - I had given this quilt to my cousin, who was just getting back from a tour of duty in Iraq. Looking back through the blog, I never even posted about it! Here it is finished. I love this pattern and I may have to make another one.


Friday I quilted this top and got it bound. Saturday was a quilting day for our local guild to work on charity quilts. I dropped this quilt off to the coordinator, along with blocks to make a green and yellow version of it. Two UFO's out the door and gone to a good cause.

Plans for this week? I have had a pile of quilted quilts sitting in the closet, just waiting for the binding. Waiting, waiting, waiting! We are going to a dear friend's wedding on Saturday and I am hoping to get one of these quilts finished for her. There is also another quilt in there that was meant to be a graduation gift for one her bridesmaids - so maybe that one will get done too! Usually I don't give quilts as wedding or graduation gifts, but these two particular girls have a special place in my heart! Definitely don't need to start any new traditions! I am already over run with making baby quilts!

What are your plans for the week?